Tomato Braised Chickpeas

I love a quick weeknight dinner – I mean who doesn’t? And these Tomato Braised Chickpeas are the best because you’ll probably have everything on hand already. Just cook down some chickpeas in a tasty marinara sauce with some kale (for greens) for 15 minutes and voila – dinner! I like to serve this with crusty bread for dipping and add any fresh herbs I have on hand.

Step One: Make the Sauce

The sauce for this is super easy to make – mostly because we use pre-made marinara. But to add a little extra flavor, I also sautéed onion, garlic & smoked paprika in some olive oil. This will give your base a little something extra.

Once the onion starts to get tender, add in the drained chickpeas and a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. I like to use an organic sauce for this one since it really is the star of the show.

Step Two: Add Some Greens

After the chickpeas have braised in the sauce for about 10 minutes, it is time to add in some extra veggies. I went with kale because it can hold up nicely in the sauce. It gets tender but not too soggy. But you could also use:

• spinach
• chard
• collards

Let the greens wilt for a couple of minute – just keep stirring until the greens are one with the sauce.

Step Three: Serve it Up

You are now ready to serve this up! I like to give the sauce one last taste to make sure I don’t need to add anything. Then top it off with some fresh herbs like parsley, basil or chives.

You can serve the chickpeas on their own or add some crusty bread on the side. These would also be really good with couscous or rice.

These chickpeas are what weeknight dinner dreams are made of – you’ve got to try them!